the swanswansfieldpta.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/062018ptanewsletter… · a movie night in...
TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 2018
The SwanFROM THE PRESIDENTOur PTA goal at the start of this year was to bring families, administration, and faculty together to build commUNITY at Swansfield Elementary School. While this is a pretty generic PTA goal found on the website of most organizations like ours, we chose it as our primary focus because of the divisions that erupted in the Swansfield community last year. As your PTA leadership, we felt that it was imperative that we address these divisions head on and work to build conversation and connection among our Swansfield people.
To that end, we have implemented a number of programs and projects to build commUNITY.
For the first time in Swansfield ES history, all our PTA materials, from our flyers to our newsletters, are going home in English and Spanish. I am so proud of the efforts of Yeimy Espinoza and Souraya Robbins to make this happen. We’ve also invested in providing Spanish language translation at all our meetings.
We’ve worked with HCPSS central office personnel, including James LeMon, Executive Director of Community, Parent and School Outreach, Frank Eastham, Chief School Management and Instructional Leadership Officer, and our Community Superintendent, Pat Saunderson, to plan and execute a series of CommUNITY Conversations in which parents and faculty identified, defined, and envisioned the values we expect Swansfield ES to embody for our children. We are especially grateful to Shannon Keeny from the office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for facilitating our conversations.
We’ve augmented this work with lots of fun. We held our first commUNITY festival in October, two absolutely fantastic school dances in September and February, turkey bingo in November, a family game night in January, a movie night in March, and a beautiful international night in April. Thank you to all the volunteers who made these events happen.
We also gave back to our commUNITY. We raised $400 for Blessings in a Backpack at the February dance. In May we worked together to provide a week of fabulous thank yous to our phenomenal SES teachers and staff. Thanks to everyone for your generosity.
Plans are underway for next year. I look forward to working with our new officers and with each one of you as we take further steps in building commUNITY with one another.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Visit our website over the summer to learn aboutupcoming events for 2018/2019!
International NightInternational Night at Swansfield was a huge success! Over 20 countries were represented through display boards, food, dance, and fashion. Our community showed up and celebrated our diversity. It was a wonderful night of sharing and learning.Visit our Facebook page to view more pictures.
Battle of the BooksSeven teams that included 35 5th grade Swans gathered at Marriotts Ridge High School on Friday, April 13th, to test their knowledge, team spirit, and creativity in Howard County's Annual Battle of the Books celebration. Sponsored by the Howard County Public Libraries, Battle of the Books challenges 5th grade students from all over the county to broaden their literary experiences. The students read 13 books covering various genres and subject matters. It was exciting to see our students put so much energy into this endeavor. Special thanks to all the parents and teachers who coached the teams and volunteered their time to make this such a wonderful experience for our kids. Swansfield won two awards during this event, including Best Team Name and Best in Civility. If you have a rising 5th grader and are interested in Battle of the Books, be on the lookout for information in the Fall of 2018.
AUTHOR OF "GHOST BOYS" VISITS SWANSFIELD
On Thursday, May 17th, award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes visited with Swansfield's 5th grade class to discuss her newly released book, Ghost Boys. Over the past month, the 5th graders have been reading this timely novel about an African-American boy who is shot by the police. Ms. Rhodes and the 5th grade class came together in the cafeteria for this PTA sponsored event. The students and author had a lively discussion about the inspiration for the book and the message of perseverance it promotes. After the discussion, Ms. Rhodes autographed books, then joined students in their classrooms for more reflection. Special thanks to Mr. Winner and the 5th-grade team for putting this wonderful event together!
RESTAURANT NIGHTS
This year, our monthly Restaurant Nights brought in approximately $ 1 , 0 0 0 ! Thank you to MandiMcMillan for organizing theseevents, and thank you to all who attended!
Thank you to all our volunteers! Without you, none of the PTA's events or ambitions could have become a reality.
Volunteer Corner
Farewell to ReneeDouglas, our exiting VP of Membership, and Josh Jenkins, o u r webmaster.
Thank youfor all your hard work.
PTA Board ElectionsThe following members were elected on May 23rd to serve on the board for the 2018/2019 school year.
Cerece Murphy: VP MembershipKimo Stewart: TreasurerNate Perkins: Recording Secretary
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The PTA ends the school year with 180 members. (153 parents, 27 teachers.) Thank you for your support this year!
PTA Board MembersKelly Klinefelter Lee [email protected]
Renee Douglas VP [email protected]
Kimo Stewart [email protected]
Nate Perkins Recording [email protected]
Souraya Robbins Corresponding [email protected]
Elizabeth Wyant VP School [email protected]
OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE SUPER!
A YEAR IN REVIEW...
Welcome Back Teachers Breakfast
Fall CommUnity Dance IC
ECre
amS
oci
al
Clothing Drive
INTERNATIONAL NIGHT
TURKEY BINGO
TEA
CH
ER A
ND
STA
FF
AP
PR
ECIA
TIO
N W
EEK
Cut, Paste & Sip!
GO CLUB
Winter CommUnity Dance
GAME NIGHT
Carson Reading Room
SWANSFIELD PTA
FALL FESTIVAL
BOOHOOBREAKFAST
RESTAURANT NIGHTS